Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Charles Phipps 10-16-07, 01:25 AM	I thought it'd be fun to do a little fun for our games by having updated versions of deities for 4E in lieu of all the ones that are going to be destroyed. What do I mean by "Revising"? Not for the rules, which haven't come out yet, but the nature of the deities themselves. What would be good Hook-worthy updates for the future of the Forgotten Realms? * A 4E version of Bhaal, Myrkul, Xvim, or Moander resurrected? * A 4E version of Mask whose ascended to Greater Power status? * Waukeen and whether she finally dealt with Graazt or not? * The New Orcus! * A Velsharoon or Finder who doesn't suck. Please do your updated versions in the following format. Name Greater/Intermediate/Lesser/Demi God status Portfolio Domains Symbol Favored Weapon Capsule: Containing the events and current status of your chosen deity. Please try and give feedback to the writers who choose to participate.
Charles Phipps 10-16-07, 03:05 AM	Bhaal Intermediate God Alignment: Chaotic Evil Portfolio: Blood, Madness, Battle Frenzy, Rapine, Slaughter Domains: Evil, Death, Strength, War Symbol: A Golden Taurus Gorgon Favored Weapon: Broadsword Profile: The Lord of Murder has returned! Though his plot with the Bhaalspawn failed to materialize immediate results, the energy gathered from their mammoth conflict remained in existence until a small group of Cyricist priests (disatisfied with their god's recent performance) cast a ritual to restore him back to his full existence. Cyric has so far proven too strong for Bhaal despite the fact that he successfully wrested part of Murder back and the portfolio of Madness from the Supreme Throne's head. Oddly, this has cleared Cyric's head tremendously and he has no intentions of regaining the portfolios from Bhaal (taking revenge for his presumption is another matter). To further enhance his number of worshipers, Bhaal descended upon Garagos and slew the Netherese God before absorbing him. The new Bhaal is more disgusting than ever with his goals apparently to cause as much indiscriminate bloodshed and carnage as possible. His priests are given free reign to do whatever they want so long as they cause carnage along the way. Those who remember the previous Assassination orientated religion may be a bit shocked as Bhaal's new one seems to be geared more towards psychopaths. Bhaal is, unfortunately, finding ample numbers of worshipers amongst humanoids and various groups of mankind's worst. Pirates, Vikings, Barbarians, and humanoids disenchanted with their racial gods have found the Lord of Murder to be most to their liking. Bhaal's priests have even started creating new races of monsters in order to fill the land with entire species of his worshippers. No longer the god of Strife, Bane finds that he has precious little desire to reknew his aquaintanceship with his former ally. Meanwhile; Bhaal has made allies of Talos, Talona, Loviatar, and several demon Princes. In addition to Cyric; Tyr, Ilmater, Helm, Torm, and Sune are utterly appalled by him. Tempus is hostile to the god for the very fact that he represents the worst elements of war incarnate.
Red_Wizard 10-16-07, 09:36 AM	lol, I was actually going to say I might tackle Bhaal, then I scrolled down and you'd already done him. The writeup is interesting, not sure if I like it or not, but interesting is still good. ;)
Charles Phipps 10-16-07, 10:22 AM	OOC: Go ahead and make your own versions. Negative feedback is also appreciated as much as positive.
Charles Phipps 10-16-07, 01:22 PM	Velsharoon Intermediate God Alignment: Neutral Evil Portfolio: Black Magic, Curses, Necromancy, Secrets, Undeath Domains: Law, Evil, Necromancy, Magic Symbol: A hand around an Eye. Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff Profile: The wake of Mystra's defeat by Shar and Cyric's collaboration, briefly incapitated Velsharoon before he was awoken by several of his loyal followers in a terrifying ritual. The experience of being close to death as a god resulted in Velsharoon walking away with terrible and vast insights. Velsharoon's Cult has expanded tremendously in the ensuing years with the majority of Kiranshlee's followers having defected to his service along with the vast majority of Orcus' cult, their spells now provided for by the evil god. At great risk to himself, Velsharoon even dared steal a portfolio from Shar in her weakened state. Velsharoon has since allied with Bane and now fulfills much the same role that his former colleague Myrkul used to. Indeed, Myrkul and he have reached an understanding with the Dead God now supporting the Crown of Horns' cult so long as they teach that he is the reincarnation of Myrkul. These fractious sects are held together largely only by their twisted love of the macabre and power lust with no central heart for their reverance of the Revenancer. This helps keep them from being overwhelmed. Despite Ssass Tam's wishes, Velsharoon's cult grows daily in Thay with many Zulkirs of all schools believing that he is the only hope for rebuilding their devastated land. Velsharoon envisions a vast Necropolis ruled by Ssass Tam transformed into little more than a puppet of his will. The rest of Faerun looks at this increasingly likely possibility with considerable alarm. Lathander, Kelemvor, and Oghma of all people are united in their desire to see Velsharoon's cult put down.
Vasyek 10-16-07, 01:53 PM	Not that it necessarily matters to this exercise, but the various traditional divisions of divine power won't exist in the future 4E envisions. Unless I'm mistaken, it's down to the greater gods and everyone else (who survives) playing the part of their servitors or aspects.
Charles Phipps 10-16-07, 02:25 PM	I haven't heard anything like that. But given we don't have any evidence of that right now, this will stick with the standard 3rd and 2nd edition ranking system until proven otherwise. But thanks for the info.
Vasyek 10-16-07, 04:45 PM	I haven't heard anything like that. But given we don't have any evidence of that right now, this will stick with the standard 3rd and 2nd edition ranking system until proven otherwise. Baker had this to say in the ask the designers thread: later on we'll simply present other deities as minor gods, demigods, or divine figures associated with the greater deities who still head up major faiths. Siamorphe, for example, can just be part of Tyr's celestial court. Clangeddin Silverbeard can be Moradin's two-fisted champion brawler who goes off and thumps on whatever Moradin wants thumped on. That's where we're heading with most of the existing deities... unless some happen to get killed outright. I suppose there is the question of what 'minor' means in this new framework, as it could potentially cover everything from demi to intermediate, but the examples given sound more like low-end demigods/glorified proxies to me. Well, just so as not to rain on your parade completely, I suppose I'll throw out a few brief accounts of things I'd like to see happen on the divine front. Not as good as write-ups in the designated format I'm sure (which may or may not follow), but it's still something, dammit: i) Ghaunadaur becomes a greater god of Adaptation, Encroachment, Impurity, Metamorphosis, Obsession, Parasitism, and Symbiosis in addition to his slime/outcast schtick. ii) Gargauth absorbs Savras' portfolios only to reinvigorate Astaroth in the process, who relieves his old nemesis of his bounty and goes on to resume his old career as the demon lord of prophecy. iii) Cyric becomes more of a Mara figure than the Tharizdun Jr. some people have been hoping for; exploiting his position at ground zero of the tree cosmology's collapse to harvest some of the dwindling energies of lesser powers such as Finder, Lliira, and Milil and assume debased reflections of their portfolios thereby - molding Joy into Derision, Liberty into Excess, the Cycle of Life into Tribulation and Jaundice, Poetry into Insinuation, and Eloquence into Subversion. iv) Bane is able to maintain his realm in the midst of the planar upheaval like all the other greater gods, but the effort exacerbates the residual strains and instabilities that persist in the wake of his resurrection, allowing Xvim to hatch from him as a demigod of Fear, Envy, and Disgrace. v) Xvim promptly scurries the hell out of the Black Bastion and barely weathers the planar fallout long enough to make it to the prime, where he lapses into unconsciousness for a number of decades. Cyric is imprisoned by this point, but nonetheless able to stave off Bane's reclaiming of the Fear portfolio by casting false traces of Xvim's presence to the four corners of Toril. Over this time, Cyric gradually worms his way into Xvim's consciousness, eroding the godling's memory and sense of self until he exists as little more than a wasted, gibbering shadow of his former self: Cyric's hands and eyes while his own are bound. vi) Sseth shakes off Set's enchantment, and wrests the Eshowdow aspect from Shar. This, along with a marked increase in yuan-ti fervor in response to his awakening, allows him to barely scrape by as a greater god and thereby maintain his own realm/autonomy.
Charles Phipps 10-16-07, 05:11 PM	Actually, I'm pretty sure that Azuth and Velsharoon were glorified messangers and servants for Mystra to begin with. We also have the same for Jergal and Kelemvor. Talona and Loviatar are servants of Bane, etc etc. But this really isn't the thread to talk about this. It's about discussing write ups. 1) I always saw Ghaundaur as the settings Tharizdun. 2) Interesting. I never would have thought of him as a Prophet type. 3) Cyric sort of becomes the all purpose purveyor of blight and human waste doesn't he? 4) Poor Xvim, he came so close to the heights of power then tumbled right back down. I have him as the Demigod of Hypocrisy, Vanity, and Self-Righteousness. 5) That's a nice take, Xvim as the servant of Cyric. Maybe he hopes to get revenge on his father. 6) That completely shocks me there. You'd never expect Sseth. He's like the Spanish Inquisition.
Vasyek 10-16-07, 06:05 PM	Actually, I'm pretty sure that Azuth and Velsharoon were glorified messangers and servants for Mystra to begin with. We also have the same for Jergal and Kelemvor. Talona and Loviatar are servants of Bane, etc etc. Mostly as an aside, since I agree this isn't really the place for it, yeah, there were plenty who were subordinates of greater gods (maybe the majority of them were.) My main problem with it is that it confines the independents who weren't greater gods to the same sort of roles. 1) I always saw Ghaundaur as the settings Tharizdun. I'm not sure how he'd materialize all those portfolios, though. Maybe some combination of primordial intuition leading him to subsume his domain/the souls therein in their entirety and the previously harvested energies of the primal life-forms he blasted the sentience from (as suggested in the elder elemental evil thread.) 2) Interesting. I never would have thought of him as a Prophet type. I was referring to Astaroth resuming his role as the demon lord of prophecy, which is all he ever was, but I also see Gargauth as the sort to deal in information as much as power or charm, hence his bid for Savras' leavings. 3) Cyric sort of becomes the all purpose purveyor of blight and human waste doesn't he? Sort of, though there are a lot of passive/internalized vices remaining. Shar'd probably want a piece of that. 6) That completely shocks me there. You'd never expect Sseth. He's like the Spanish Inquisition. Well, unlike Shar he is actually part of the Chultan pantheon, and she has so much on her plate lately that she might not care or even notice before it's too late. Besides, I like the idea of him becoming a menace to Ubtao on two fronts, one of which he can't even directly perceive.